As the availability and sophistication of in-vehicle informational devices grows, drivers increasingly rely on such systems to bear a larger portion of the driving burden. One area in particular in which such devices excel is the provision of navigation assistance. For example, drivers often use such systems to identify destinations and obtain directions to travel to such destinations. Thus, a user may use an on-board navigation system to locate a nearby gas station, and then may also use the on-board navigation system to obtain directions to the selected gas station. Although a vehicle telematics unit may perform many functions other than navigation, the navigational capabilities are of primary importance to many drivers.
The services of such systems may be accessed through interfaces such as voice-recognition computer applications, touch-screen computer displays, computer keyboards, or a series of buttons on the dashboard or console of a vehicle. With respect to navigation, driving directions may be accessed through services that offer maps and driving directions. To use these types of services, the user may specify desired starting and/or ending addresses. Sources of routing services include off-board navigation servers, onboard data sources (e.g., databases, CDs, DVDs, etc.) and other suitable sources.
In many cases, regardless of the mechanism by which routing data is obtained, the directions may be displayed in the vehicle in a visual or textual format that shows at least a portion of the route. For example, a map portion related to the user's current position may be displayed, and upcoming required actions, such as turns or branches, may be graphically illustrated. In this manner, the user may follow the visual directions and eventually arrive at the desired destination if all directions are followed correctly.
However, while such systems provide a substantial benefit to users, there is still an unfilled need for a system that is capable of providing a custom interface, for example, to allow retrieval of destinations based on the vehicles navigation capabilities, number of destinations, and user preferences.